Nearby Words
por·poise
[pawr-puhs] noun, plural (especially collectively) -poise, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -pois·es, verb, -poised, -pois·ing. noun
1.
any of several small, gregarious cetaceans of the genus Phocoena, usually blackish above and paler beneath, and having a blunt, rounded snout, especially the common porpoise, P. phocoena, of both the North Atlantic and Pacific.
2.
any of several other small cetaceans, as the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis.
verb (used without object)
3.
(of a speeding motorboat) to leap clear of the water after striking a wave.
4.
(of a torpedo) to appear above the surface of the water.
5.
to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise: The car has a tendency to porpoise when overloaded.
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Porpoises
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English porpoys < Middle French porpois < Vulgar Latin *porcopiscis hog fish, for Latin porcus marīnus sea hog
1275–1325; Middle English porpoys < Middle French porpois < Vulgar Latin *porcopiscis hog fish, for Latin porcus marīnus sea hog
Related forms
por·poise·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To porpoises
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
porpoise
1309, from O.Fr. porpais (12c.), lit. "pork fish," from porc "pork" (see pork) + peis "fish," from L. piscis "fish." The O.Fr. word is probably a loan-translation of a Gmc. word, cf. M.Du. mereswijn "porpoise" (cf. Mod.Fr. marsouin). Classical L. had a similar name, porculus
EXPANDmarinus (in Pliny), and the notion behind the name likely is a fancied resemblance of the snout to that of a pig.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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